♦ 8750 Pride Place, Atlanta, GA 30350 ♦ 470-254-8660 – phone (English/Español) ♦ 470-254-3334 – fax

SSCMS Website http://school.fultonschools.org/ms/sandysprings/Pages/default.aspx

Title I School Commitment: Sandy Springs Charter Middle School qualifies to receive federal funds under No Child Left

Behind Act of 2001, Title I Part A for the 2012-2013 School Year. Our school has been designated as a Title I School.

Stallion News A Newsletter for the Sandy Springs Charter Middle School Community

♦ Mr. Charles Gardner, Principal ♦ ♦Ms. Alisha Lyas Jones, Curriculum Assistant Principal♦

♦ Ms. Sabrina Taylor, Curriculum Assistant Principal♦

THE

Friday, Oct 2, 2015 SSCMS EDITION

We Tweet!

Follow us @ SSCMSSTALLIONS @SSCMSMEDIA

Dear Stallion Families,

It has been a great week at SSCMS! We are excited about the

professional learning that we have provided our teachers on rigor and

relevance and the positive impact it will have for our students. You can

expect to see your students making more explicit real-world connections

and engaging in critical thinking. We believe that we should have the

highest expectations for every student at Sandy Springs Charter Middle

School to prepare them for High School and beyond. I look forward to

seeing you on Monday at the “Meet Mr. Gardner” event that PTA has

been gracious enough to host. Your feedback is invaluable and there will

be an opportunity for you to engage in dialogue with me at this event.

Thank you for entrusting us with your child and partnering with us to

ensure that success is the only option.

Charles W. Gardner, Ed.S

Proud Principal / Lead Learner

You are invited!

Monday

October 5th

6:00

Hosted by PTA

Oct 2015

Oct 5

BLUE

SHIRT

DAY!

&

Meet the

New

Principal

Event

6:00pm

Oct 9

Teacher

Work Day

(No School

for

Students)

Oct 12

Columbus

Day

(No School)

Oct 19-23

ITBS

Testing

Window 8th

for Grade

Oct 26-30

Book Fair

Oct 29

Spooky

Band

Concert

7th & 8th

Grade

Want to Volunteer at SSCMS?

The deadline is October 7th.

For more info, please see Mrs. English,

Ms. Kasturey, or Ms. Garmon

Breakthrough Prize

and Khan Academy are

looking for students

that want to share their

passion for math and

science. For more

information about the

contest, read more…

For more information:

Ms. Kasturey

Ms. Garmon

Mrs. English

The Breakthrough Junior

Challenge

8th Grade Washington D.C. Trip! Who: 8th Graders

What: Class Trip

Where: Washington DC

When: November 9-13

8th Grade Washington DC Trip payments are due the

following dates. Students who do not meet the payment

deadlines are at risk of losing their spot on the trip.

Payments are accepted as money order only. Please contact

Helen Hillis at hillish@fultonschools.org with any questions.

Thursday September 17, 2015 $150 Thursday October 1, 2015 $140 Thursday October 22, 2015 $100 final payment

Congratulations to Carlos

Moreland Jr. for being

selected as a 2015-2016

REACH Scholar for Fulton

County Schools. Carlos will

be honored at the REACH

signing ceremony on

September 30.

REACH Georgia is a

mentorship and scholarship

program that provides

scholars with the academic,

social, and financial support

needed to graduate from

high school, gain access to

college and achieve post-

secondary success. Upon

successful completion of the

program, qualifying

students earn a $10,000

scholarship.

Reach Scholar

In order to be a volunteer here, you must complete the Child Abuse

and Neglect Reporting Protocol training. This step is required by

the Fulton County School District. To register as a volunteer or to

complete your renewal, please log onto the following site and

follow the steps below. http://www.fcsvolunteers.org/

Under section, “How do I become a “Volunteer” click on the

Fulton County Schools Volunteer Page link

After clicking on the green button, the registration process includes

an interactive Child Abuse Reporting Procedures Training and the

Volunteer Registration form.

Please Allow 48 hours to process your application before you visit

our school to Volunteer. You will received notice via email that

your registration was (or was not) approved.

When you arrive to our school for your first volunteer assignment,

present one of your government identification (Driver’s License,

State Identification Cards, Mexican Consular Cards, or Green

Cards, etc.) to verify your identity and to be scanned in as one of

our volunteers for this school year.

Thank you for volunteering at SSCMS!! If you have any further

questions, feel free to let me know. Jacobsa1@fultonschools.org

Following on the momentum of the PBIS / Student Government Association Pep Rally, the four candidates launched their campaigns to be the next Student Body President. The four 8th graders vying for the position were: Ana Bachur, Carlos Moreland, James Stratham, and Makaila Atkins. Signs went up through the halls, handshakes were pressed and campaign promises made. The students of Sandy Springs Middle cast their ballots this past week and Carlos Moreland Jr. garnered a majority of the votes to become the 2015-2016 Student Government President. SSCMS staff and faculty look forward to working with the student body representatives on relevant topics throughout the year.

Students interested in working with Carlos in an effort to have student voices heard should pick up an application in the Main Office for the treasurer, secretary, and recording secretary positions. All of the officers will be joined by the grade level team representatives to form the Sandy Springs Middle School Student Government Association.

Congratulations to all of the candidates on their campaigns and to President Moreland on his election.

Congratulations

Carlos Moreland, Jr.

Student Government

President 2015-2016

Early Dismissal Students must be signed out in the front office by 3:00 for

early dismissal. If the student is not signed out by 3:00,

for early dismissal, the student will not be released until

our school-wide release time of 3:50. Thank you for your

cooperation and understanding.

Internet Essentials Students who receive free or reduced lunch may qualify

for “Internet Essentials” through Comcast. This program

gives families the internet for only $9.95 per month.

Additionally they can order a laptop or desktop for only

$149! Below you will find the direct link to the online

application.

http://www.internetessentials.com/

Home Access Portal To support home learning, parents have

specialized parent access to their Home

Access portal via the Fulton County website.

Should you need your login and password

information, simply contact one of our front

office staff, and they will more than glad to

walk you through the process.

Café Conversation SSCMS offers a nutritious and

convenient breakfast every morning at

no cost to all students. This is a

breakfast program designed to boost

academic performance, behavior, and

attendance.

The daily breakfast includes:

-Both hot and cold whole grain entrée

options

-Fresh fruit and 100% juice

-1% and fat free milk

Please take a look at the breakfast

menus at www.fcsnutrition.com, and

consider joining the SSCMS Café for a

delicious breakfast!

MEDICAL INSURANCE

Students who are interested in trying out for sports

must have medical insurance in case of an

emergency. Students can provide a copy of their

current medical insurance policy card or purchase

school medical insurance for as low as $14.50 for

the school year.

For more information, please call:

S. Parsons, Athletic Director

parsons@fultonschools.org

Gifted Screening &

Referral Process

See Notification to Parents

TAG INFO

Please feel free to email Mr.

Baker with any questions. BakerD3@fultonschools.org

http://www.jo

stens.com/yea

rbooks/high-

school-

yearbooks.ht

ml

BOX TOPS

School Goal: 10,000 Box Tops

First submission date: Nov 2nd

Submission Procedure: Send 50 Box Tops

in Ziploc bag or collection sheet to HR

Teacher and indicate student grade.

Collection Sheet can be found on the

website. http://school.fultonschools.org/ms/sandyspri

ngs/Pages/default.aspx

Sweep Bus Schedule

Sweep Bus Schedule can be accessed on school website.

http://school.fultonschools.org/ms/sandysprings/Documents/SSM%202015%20-%2016%20Sweep%20Runs.p

df

Publicity Release Form

The form can be found on the website.

Please, complete and return the form to

homeroom teachers. Thank you for your

support!

SSCMS Practices Good Digital Citizenship

In a world where nearly everyone uses social media to

communicate, we are committed to teach our students

the importance of digital citizenship and the

responsible use of technology. We are teaming up

with Common Sense Education to help us prepare our

students for the 21st century. Common Sense

Education is full of resources for teachers and parents

to educate students on how to be good digital citizens.

Upon completing the criteria set by Fulton County, we

will be a Certified School!

For more information, please visit the Common Sense

Education Website.

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators

Medication Information

From the school clinic:

Please remember, if your child needs any

type of medication, either prescription or

non-prescription, during school hours you

must sent the item in its original packaging

with the SHS-1 or SHS-2 Form filled out to

the school Clinic.

Thank you for your cooperation.

The Science Explorers Club is in need of

individual water bottles. Any empty water bottles

that you could possibly donate would be a great

help! There will be a box in the media center

where you can leave them.

For Contact information:

Nicole Schechter schechtern@fultonschools.org

Science

Explorers

Club

Collecting

Water

Bottles!

SSCMS Softball

The Stallions softball team has reached the midway point of

their season and are continuing to have a great Fall! The

Stallions are currently 6-3 overall on the season. In MAAC

league play, the Stallions are a perfect 5-0 and in 1st place. So

far this season, they have defeated Galloway, Epstein(twice),

Ridgeview, St. Francis and Pace.

The excellent start has truly been a team effort with all 12

players making contributions. This week, we focus on our 8th

graders. Jessica Hopper continues to lead the team in hits.

Genevieve Cortez leads the team in RBIs. Virginia Fuss

leads the team in runs scored. Sarah McCubbins had a big hit

and started the rally in the Pace game. Morgan Bixler is

second on the team in on base percentage. Angelica Parker

has made several impressive defensive plays at 2B and in the

OF.

The Stallions play at Galloway on Tuesday. Please come out

and support your Stallions softball team!!

Please contact Katie English, the softball liaison, if you have

any questions. englishk@fultonschools.org

SSCMS Softball Schedule can be found on the website.

SSCMS Football

Practices are Monday-Thursday, 6pm to 8pm at North

Springs High School

Football Player Study Sessions are Monday-Thursday

from School Dismissal to 4:45pm

When practice cancellation is in order, Coach Horton will

make the decision. This decision will be communicated

to me then; to you in a timely manner. The parents will be

notified by our Team Mom via our email list.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to

contact me.

With much Appreciation,

Coach Wicks

wicks@fultonschools.org

SSCMS Tennis Tennis tryouts will be held on Wednesday, September 30th

and Monday October 5th only. All interested participants

must have a current physical on file and must be available to

compete on Saturday, October 17th, 2015.

Interested 7th and 8th graders will meet immediately

afterschool near the locker rooms.

Time: 4-5 pm.

Questions? Contact Coach Parsons at

parsons@fultonschools.org

SSCMS Soccer The SSCMS soccer team beat

Northwestern on 9/23 with a

score of 3-2. Myles

Cummings scored one goal,

and William Basilio scored

two. Anthony Resendiz was

excellent in goal. Jesse White,

Love’ Williams, Grace

Holbrook, Jesus Vielma, Jesse

Palacios, and Stephen

Rodriguez all played great

defense. Abel Pineda, Ryan

Grayson , and Miguel Marron

made great passes in the

midfield.

If you have any questions,

please contact Erica Olson.

olsone@fultonschools.org

SSCMS Volleyball

Congratulations Girls!

The following girls made the

Volleyball Team.

Lauren Devlin

Kennedy Cunningham

Genesis Rohena

Abigail Horne

Desiah Goodson

Betriz Salvioli

Emily Wasilewski

Syraih Wint

Zoe Tillman

Isha Perry

Leriq Warner

Jin Ryu

Meghan Malone

Jayla Lampkin

Alternate: Sharon Ballesteros

SSCMS Volleyball Schedule 2015

Who: You

What: Band Concert

Where: SSCMS GYM

When: Oct 29th @ 6:00

You’re invited!

Reading Bowl Team

Meeting

Who: Reading Bowl Team

Members

What: Meeting

Where: Media Center

When: October 15 @ 8:00

If you have any questions,

please contact Mrs. Howell.

howell@fultonschools.org

It’s back by popular

demand!

Due to some issues with

the AR program, we are

off to a late start, but AR

should be up and running

soon. Also, Survivor AR

Challenges will begin

soon after.

Get ready! Start Reading!

SURVIVOR AR

The Book Fair will be at SSCMS October

26th-30th. Students will have scheduled

days to attend the Book Fair with their

ELA teacher. The days will be announced

prior to the Book Fair start date. We have

an exciting week planned!

BOOK FAIR

October 26th-30th

SPOOKY BAND CONCERT

7th & 8th

Grade

SPOOKY BAND CONCERT

October 5th BLUE SHIRT DAY!

World Day of

Bullying

Prevention!

Pumpkin Book

Character Contest

Let’s have some fun with one of

our favorite activities of Book

Fair Week! All you need is a

book, a pumpkin, and some

creativity. Choose a character

from a book, and use your

imagination to transform the

pumpkin into the character!

Entries will be accepted for

display October 27-29. Judging

will be held on October 30.

Winner gets a prize!

FYI: Pumpkins

can be any shape

or size. They can

be real or

artificial. It’s up

to you!

Make a Monster Contest

We have a new contest for Book

Fair Week, this year. Make the

silliest, scariest, or friendliest

monster poster to support this

year’s monster theme! Entries will

be accepted to display in the media

center throughout the month of

October up until October 29.

Judging will be held on October 30.

Winner gets a prize!

Janet C.

Lane

Graduation

Coach

SSCMS

470-254-

8677

Lanej@fulto

nschools.org

Mrs. Russell

470-254-8665

What we do for students

School counselors provide programs and support designed to promote

student achievement. “These programs are comprehensive in scope,

preventive in design and developmental in nature” (American School

Counselor Association, 2012).

Our comprehensive school program consists of the following components:

1) academic 2) social/emotional & 3) career development.

Individual Counseling, Small Group counseling

Parent Workshops

Mentoring programs

Core Curriculum (Classroom Guidance)

Special programs i.e. Anti-Bullying, BFF, PALS, Transitions, Support for

Teachers

Student Support Team (SST)

Resources for Mental Health

College and Career Awareness

Sandy Spring Reads October 2015 Selection

GA Milestone Below are several resources that provide detailed information regarding the Georgia Milestones. There is a webpage

dedicated specifically to where these resources are available. This can also be found on the GaDOE’s Georgia

Milestone Assessment webpage (see links below). Another resource that you might find beneficial is a video

developed to provide parents with an explanation about Georgia’s Student Growth Model, which is embedded on the

GaDOE website as well.

Testing/Assessment

http://www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-and-Assessment/Assessment/Pages/default.aspx

Georgia Milestones Assessment System

http://www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-and-Assessment/Assessment/Pages/Georgia-Milestones-Assessment-

System.aspx

Georgia Student Growth Model

http://www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-and-Assessment/Assessment/Pages/Georgia-Student-Growth-

Model.aspx

College & Career Georgia

Career Information System

(GCIS)

This year students will use

Georgia Career Information

System (GCIS) for career

exploration and planning.

Each student will obtain their

access information, complete

career interest inventories and

8th grade students will

complete their four year high

school graduation plan. The

career inventories and the

high school graduation plan

are designed to meet the

Bridge Law requirements.

The After-School All-Stars are

going to do a “book-read” of

Esperanza Rising, written by

Pam Munoz Ryan. They will be

visiting the Sandy Springs

Public Library for a book

meeting.

Check out a summary of the

book at Schmoop.

http://www.shmoop.com/espera

nza-rising/summary.html

Reflections

Let Your Imagination Fly

Deadline Oct 19th

Be Part of PTA’s Reflections® Program

The PTA Reflections Contest is now

underway.

-Categories include: visual arts, photography,

film production, literature, music composition

and dance choreography.

-First and second place in each category from

each grade will move on to the North Fulton

PTA Council competition and those winners

will move to the state competition.

-Entry forms with rules are located in the

media center.

-All students entered will enjoy an Invitation-

only Celebration Breakfast and Art Exhibit.

-Check it out and Let you Imagination Fly!

Monday, October 19

Check the school

website for

important info

about SSCMS.

Join Sandy Springs Charter

Middle School PTA https://www.facebook.com/groups/5

86751501399086/

Vanguard Team

Representatives for SSCMS

Katie Engish

Jennifer Garmon

School Governance Council Members 2015-2016

Jennifer Stoops- Parent/Guardian Representative

Nicole Schechter- Teacher Representative

ITBS TESTING

WINDOW for 8th Grade

October 19-23